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Monday, October 31, 2005

Being Holy

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)

Many people think that holiness is about what we do: If we do enough good deeds, we are holy. But the truth is, you can no more become holy by your good works than you can become a banana by painting yourself yellow and hanging from a tree. It just doesn’t work that way.

The Bible says that we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. It is not our doing but His doing that matters. He offered His body as a sacrifice so that we could be sanctified — made holy — before God. The Greek word for “holy” means to be set apart. To be holy means to be set apart for God’s special purposes.

Being holy does not flow forth from doing holy deeds. Holy deeds flow forth from being holy.

Consider the banana again. It is a banana, not because of what it does, but because it flows forth from the life of the tree. It begins as a bud, then flowers, then begins to come forth as fruit. It does not strive, it does not strain. It does not try to create itself. It simply receives the life of the tree, and that life does the work within it. It does not try to color itself yellow. Being yellow does not make it a banana, but the banana is yellow because that is its nature.

Holiness is the same way. We do not strain to become holy. We simply enter into the work of Jesus, and He makes us holy. As we allow His life to flow through us, we begin to live and act in ways that reveal God’s special purpose, the destiny He has prepared for us.

Holiness is all about Him, not about us. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The Bible says that Jesus has offered His body “once for all.” That means that there is nothing else anybody can add to it. He has already done all that is necessary for us to be holy.

Stop trying to be holy — you’ll never make it. Instead, by faith enter into the holiness of King Jesus the Messiah. Then let His life work in you to bring forth the fruit of a powerful, world-changing destiny. For without Him, you can do nothing.

7 comments:

thanks but i still dont understand,do u mean,being good,is in vain,i understand that been good is becus of i love god,and that it will matter to my LORD JESUS CHRIST AND IT IS BECUS OF HIM I AM GOOD RIGHT,IT IS BECUS I LOVE HIM I DECIDE TO LISTEN TO HIS WORDS AND DO AS HE SAYS AND RETRAIN FROM THINGS THAT R NOT OF HIS WAYS,SO WE AM ALL THIS BECUS OF MY LORD JESUS ,DO IT MAKE ME HOLY OR AM HOLY ALREADY BECUS OF JESUS ,AND DOING DO AND DOING IT BECUS OF GOD,MAKES ME HOLY BECUS OF HIM,ALTHOU AM NOT SAYING AM HOLY ALL BY MY SELF AM ASKING,REPLY ME PLS,

No, I don't mean that being good is in vain. We were created for being good and doing good. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

Doing good does not bring us into right relationship with God. We could never be good enough for that. Quite the opposite, doing good comes from being made right with God, through faith in Jesus the Messiah. It is only when we have right relationship with God that we are able to do good. When we are born again by the Spirit of God, He gives us the ability to do what is right and good.

Through faith in Jesus the Messiah, we are made holy, set apart as God's own. That is our new identity. It is from that position of being made holy that we are then able to holy lives that honor God.

Thanks very much,now i get it,i have something else to ask u,pls,i want to know if masturbation is against GOD,we r brances of God who do good becus of GOD AND FOLLOW HIS WAYS, BUT THE BODY HAS HIS OWN ALTOGETHER WAY,SO MY QUESTION IS,AS PPL OF GOD,WHO DONTS FORNICATE,BUT MASTURBATE,IS IT WRONG AGAINST GOD?,IS GOD ANGRY FOR US TO RELEASE OUR SPERM OUT,BECUS IT IS SAID THAT IS GOOD TO GET REID OF SPERM AFTER A MONTH,PLS REPLY,ALSO,I WANT TO KNOW,WAT IS THE VERSES AND CHAPTER OF THE PLACE IN THE BIBLE GOD SAID ,I CREATED THE WASTER I CAN HANDLE HIM,ALSO THAT VERSED THAT U WROTE THAT SAID ,I AM THE VEIN AND U R THE BRANCHES,ONCE AGAIN THANK U AND CAN I COME ASK U QUESTIONS FROM TIME TO TIME?I LOVE GOD AND I FOLLOW HIS WAYS, BUT I HAVE A DARK SIDE WHICH IS SOMETIMES I MASTURBATE BUT I FEEL BAD AFTER WARDS,BUT IT NEVER SAID IN THE BIBLE NOT TO MASTUBATE,AND I WANT TO ASK ,IS IT TRUE AND POSIBLE THAT PPL CAN SELL THEIR SOUL TO THE DEVIL?BYE,I SHALL CHECK ON U LATER,HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND

Anonymous (1:53AM), I feel sorry for your heart. Let it flow naturally for life is abundant. Crave and you sin, Sin and you die.... The cravings of sin is your challenge, pray and let go of your own misery. Faith alone will not make us survive, but rather practice the faith that bears goodness in your heart. Be well Anonymous and I hope God will bless you with His LOVE.

the other day my daughter in law had me type in may 21 2011 and it came up saying that that was the day the world comes to an end .I be leave that when he comes no one will know he'll come like a thief in the night we won't know it say's in the bible when we hear thunder and lighting from the heaven and the archangel and the trumpet of god and the dead in christ rise first and who is still here found in chris will meat in the air and be with in always be with him 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

I think this is difficult for the flesh to understand- and is often mistaken for being fancy words to mean that we do nothing. And for those who use it as an excuse for the flesh- and thereby continue walking in the flesh- it causes them to live unholy lives.

But certainly, for those who have believed in Christ and been sanctified by the Spirit, they will grow- as you said- with in the vine of Christ and be holy- because He is holy.

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